Lately, Leo has noticed something about one of his brothers that he finds rather concerning. He's been trying to find a way to broach the subject with said brother, but given that, even at the best of times, his conversations with Raph are rather stunted, Leo's not really sure what to do. After all, it might be nothing, but somehow he's sure that it's not. It sounds ridiculous when he thinks about it, because Raph has been acting nicer to everyone, and Leo means everyone. Mikey, Donnie, Casey, April, him…especially him, and Leo wants to enjoy the reprieve they've all gotten from Raph's normally abrasive attitude, but he can't ignore certain things that he's noticed recently.

He sighs as he thinks about it. He should be happy, elated even, that Raph has been getting along with all of them so much better than normal, and Leo wants to just let it go. He really does, but he can't stop himself from thinking that there's something more going on here. There's something wrong, and no matter how much he wants to be delighted with this change he just can't be, because Raph's attitude isn't the only thing that's changed about him. Leo has been keeping a pretty close eye on Raph ever since the whole incident with The Creep. He knows there's not much he can do to protect his brother now that they're back at the lair. After all, Raph has returned to venturing out with Casey alone, but Leo can't seem to forget how close he came to losing his brother.

A part of him hopes that everything he's noticed about Raph recently is just his paranoia, but there are just too many minor details for Leo to ignore. Raph's lost weight. Leo first noticed that Raph was constantly tugging his belt up when they were still at the farmhouse. At the time, Leo had just assumed that the rigorous training regimens Raph was putting himself through and the change in diet were affecting him, but they've been back at the lair for some time now and it seems as though Raph is still steadily losing weight. His appetite has changed and he seems to tire easily, but the most concerning thing of all is the fact that Raph seems weaker lately. Normally, moving around large heavy objects would be effortless for him, but recently every time they've needed to lug something heavy back to the lair Raph has actually needed help.

Donnie and Mikey haven't really seemed to notice the differences in Raph, and what little they have noticed they mock him for, instead of showing concern. Leo hasn't said anything to either of them about that particular behavior, because he's afraid that if he does, then his reservations will suddenly become more than his own paranoia. That said, Leo doesn't think he can continue ignoring the obvious. There's something going on with Raph, and whatever it is it's affecting him in ways that any enemy could easily take advantage of. Leo has already come too close to losing Raph once. He won't let fear be the reason he loses him for good.

Leo heaves a large breath and holds it for a moment in preparation for what he's about to do. There's a small part of him calling him a coward for choosing to go to someone else about this first, but Leo keeps trying to convince himself that this is just the most logical choice. He just wishes he believed it. He knocks on the door, and then waits for the cursory, "Come in," before he slides open the door to the lab and steps into Donnie's domain.

"Hey, Donnie, you got a minute?" Leo fidgets in the doorway while Donnie does something with one of the various glass vials on his desk.

"Sure, Leo, what do you need?"

Donnie doesn't even glance up from his work, but that doesn't really bother Leo. The genius of the family is well known for his multitasking abilities. "I was wondering if you've noticed anything strange about Raph, lately."

Donnie merely shrugs as he grabs an eyedropper from the other side of his work area. "Well, now that you've mention it, I have noticed that the two of you haven't really been fighting lately. I mean, sure, you still bicker, but no real fights. It's odd."

Leo shakes his head. He's not surprised that that's the first thing Donnie mentions. After all, his arguments with Raphael have always been a source of irritation for their younger brothers. "No, I meant more specific than that."

Donnie still doesn't even pause in what he's doing, but Leo is fairly certain that he's still paying attention to him. "I don't know. Is there something you're worried about in particular?"

Leo shrugs, despite the fact that Donnie can't see it. He's suddenly extremely uncomfortable with this whole conversation. He didn't actually think that it would be this difficult to address his concerns, but since he hasn't actually approached Raphael about this, Leo feels like discussing it with Don might be over stepping some boundaries. That said, he's here now, and he's already interrupted Donnie, so it's only logical for him to proceed. "Well, he hasn't really been eating lately, and, when he does eat, it's only a minuscule amount. He doesn't really seem to have as much energy as he normally does, and have you noticed that he's gotten weaker?"

Donnie just shrugs again, still staring intently at whatever he's working on. "Well, Mikey has been experimenting with various types of food a lot since we got back, and you can't really blame a guy for not wanting to eat that. Not to mention, if he's not eating, then it makes sense that he's tired and doesn't have the same amount of strength as normal. Maybe we just need to have a pizza night, and tell Mikey to lay off of the random food combinations."

Leo smiles brightly at the suggestion. It makes complete and utter sense that Raph just doesn't feel like in taking any of Mikey's insane concoctions. Leo assumes Raph hasn't actually said anything about it, because he doesn't want to hurt Mikey's feelings. They've all had such a rough time with everything since returning to the lair, and Raph really has been doing his best to keep his temper under control. Leo just wishes he had thought about all of this before. After all, he's been practically worrying himself sick over evidently nothing, and it isn't fair to Raph - or really any of them - that he hasn't put a stop to Mikey's cooking madness sooner.

"Yeah, you're right, Don. Thanks a lot. I'll let you get back to work now." He turns to leave the lab as Donnie hums an acknowledgment, which Leo ignores in favor of tracking down his youngest brother to inform him that tonight's dinner has to be something normal…well, their version of normal, anyway.

Leo isn't the least bit surprised to find Mikey in the kitchen talking a mile a minute to Ice Cream Kitty, while tossing random items into a pot. "Uh, hey, Mikey, whatcha doin'?"

Mikey spins around with a wooden spoon in his hand, laden with some kind of clumpy red goop that splatters across Leo's plastron. Mikey stares at the mess he's made with a sheepish grin. "Uh, sorry, Leo. I didn't mean to get you with my cherry sardine anchovy pizza sauce. You're not mad, are you?"

Leo glances down at his red covered plastron, but immediately looks away again when the smell makes his eyes water. Normally, he would be aggravated by the mess, but he has more important things to focus on right now. "No, I'm not mad, but please tell me that that's not what you're making for dinner."

Mikey shakes his head as he passes Leo a towel to clean himself with. "No, of course not! This is just for me and Ice Cream Kitty, though if you want some, I could always make more. Tonight's dinner, however, is going to be hot sauce carrot marshmallow mayo pineapple pizza rolls."

Leo grimaces at the very idea of that combination and tries not to gag at the smell of whatever Mikey is currently making. "Um, no thanks, Mikey. I was actually wondering if you could make something special for dinner tonight."

Mikey nods enthusiastically at the suggestion, even though Leo hasn't even told him what he's planning. "Sure, bro. You name it, and I'll make it."

"Well…" Leo pauses for a moment while he considers the best way to phrase his request. He doesn't want to hurt Mikey's feelings, but, at the same rate, Leo doesn't think anyone would forgive him if he didn't put an end to the hot sauce marshmallow pineapple whatever rolls Mikey is planning on serving tonight. "I'm sure you've noticed how hard Raph has been trying to keep his temper under control and how well he's succeeded lately, so I was thinking we could make his favorite foods for dinner. You know, as a way to show our appreciation and to let him know that we've noticed his efforts."

Mikey practically jumps up and down at the suggestion. "Aw man, Leo, that's a great idea! I'll get started on it right away. Raph's been so awesome lately. It's the least I could do. You go keep Raph busy, and we can make it a surprise and everything." Mikey ushers Leo out of the room, and immediately rushes back over to where he left Ice Cream Kitty.

Leo can't help but laugh at how excited Mikey is. He really should have done this sooner. He's sure once Raph has a good meal and a decent night's sleep, then things will start to return to normal. Leo is about halfway to Raph's room when he realizes he should make sure that Mikey actually remembers what Raph's favorite foods are, since the energetic turtle has a habit of getting everyone's favorite foods confused with his own. However, Leo doesn't even make it to the threshold of the kitchen before Ice Cream Kitty is in his way, hissing at him. Leo glances down and smiles. "Okay, I get it. You're on guard duty, but since this was my idea I think you can let me in, right?"

Ice Cream Kitty shakes her head and hisses again. Leo rolls his eyes, but he knows better than to just step over her. After all, there are only so many times someone can be slimed with ice cream before he takes note of the situation. "Mikey, come here for a second."

There's a loud crash that makes Leo wince, but, before he can even ask if everything is alright, Mikey is standing before him covered from head to toe in - what appears to be - flour. "What do ya need, bro?"

"I just wanted to make sure that we're clear that you're making Raph's favorite foods, and, you know," Leo gives him a very pointed glare, "not your own."

Mikey's brow furrows with the accusation as he folds his arms over his chest. "I know and I've got this, dude. Now go keep Raph busy."

Mikey gestures for him to leave, but Leo figures it's probably best if they don't leave their genius brother out of their impromptu surprise dinner. "Oh, and feel free to tell Don about this and get his help once he's finished with…whatever he's doing."

Mikey nods as he once again shoves Leo in the direction of Raph's room. "Yeah, I will, as soon as everything is ready, I'll have Don help me set the table and stuff. Just make sure Raph stays out of the kitchen." Mikey gives Leo one final push before returning to his task. Leo sighs heavily. He just wants everything to go smoothly today. They all deserve some down time and an actually edible meal. It's been so long since they've gotten a chance to just chill and Leo desperately needs things to go back to normal, even if it is just so he can stop worrying so much.

Leo makes his way to Raph's room, unsurprised to find the door shut tight. He knocks on the door, hoping that he isn't interrupting something important. Although, Leo doesn't know what he could possibly be interrupting, since he can't hear the sounds of Raph working out or playing his drums. He can, however, hear Raph grumble as he makes his way over towards the door. When he opens it, Raph seems genuinely stunned to see Leo standing there, and Leo doesn't understand why. He doesn't think it should be that shocking for Leo to seek out his younger brother. "What's going on?"

Leo's brow furrows at the question. They haven't been fighting recently, so, as far as he's concerned, there's no reason for Raph to be so on edge. It's not as though he only comes to Raph's room for patrol related reasons, except, as Leo thinks about it for a moment, he realizes maybe he does. He makes a mental note to work on that, but right now he has a bit of an agenda to deal with, so he smiles sheepishly and does his level best not to say anything too revealing. Raph always seems to know when Leo is lying, so he generally tries not to do so around his brother. "Um, I was wondering if I could hang out in here with you for a while. Mikey has the kitchen quarantined off with Ice Cream Kitty as his guard and Donnie is working on…something. I don't know what, and I'd rather not end up in the crossfire when something inevitably explodes."

Leo figures it should be a good enough excuse that Raph won't want to go anywhere near the kitchen for the foreseeable future. Not to mention, it'll give them a chance for some bonding time with each other. Raph stares at him for a long moment before he shrugs and moves aside to allow Leo into his room. "Why didn't ya just go to your own room and meditate or something, like you normally do?" Raph's tone is genuinely curious and not at all antagonistic, which leaves Leo at a loss for words.

He doesn't really know what to say, so he just goes with the truth. "I just wanted to spend some time with you. You've been rather aloof lately."

"No, I haven't." Raph responds swiftly with an air of tension.

Leo raises an eyebrow ridge at the rather defensive tone. "Sure, you have. You spend almost all of your time in here. Heck, I don't even think you workout as much as you usually do, and when you aren't in here you're with Casey."

Leo doesn't even realize how accurate that is until he says it out loud, and then he just stares at Raph waiting for the inevitable explosion, because he's sure this is bound to start a fight. He's so damn livid with himself, because the last thing he wants to do is to have an altercation with Raph, especially when he's spent so long worrying himself sick over his brother.

Raph clenches both of his fists tightly and Leo braces himself for the unavoidable yelling, but instead all Raph does is sigh heavily. He looks exhausted as he slumps down onto his bed, holding his head in his hands, and Leo just blinks rapidly at the unexpected response. "Yeah, I guess I have been spending a lot of time out with Casey lately, but I'm no more aloof than normal." Raph glares; daring Leo to argue with him, but it just makes Leo want to smile. However, he's fairly certain that it would actually start a fight if he did, no matter how much Raph is trying to control his rage.

Leo holds up his hands in the air as if trying to defuse the situation. If Raph is willing to put aside his temper and try to get along with him, then the least Leo can do is try to help. "Okay, but why have you been spending so much time with Casey lately? I mean, did…did we do something?"

Raph's head snaps up and he stares at Leo as though he's insane. "What? No, why would you think that?"

Leo just shrugs. He's not used to Raph opening up this much, and that's something else he promises himself he's going to work on later. "I don't know. I just feel like you've been avoiding us lately."

Raph sighs heavily again as he rubs the back of his head. "I haven't. It's just…the lair is just so damn suffocating after spending so much time at the farmhouse, ya know? And the noise is driving me crazy. I mean, I know Mikey and Donnie are just as loud as they've always been and the sound reverberates off the walls and pipes the same way it always has, but it's been making me loopy lately. I guess it's because when we were at the farmhouse and Mikey was his normally obnoxious self, I could always just go outside. And Donnie was always in the barn tinkering with things, so the noise was a little less deafening then, but now…it's just…"

Raph trails off seemingly at a loss for words and Leo just nods. He thinks he understands. The farmhouse was so quiet in comparison to the lair. It makes sense that Raph is having difficulty adjusting, especially since he found the lair's atmosphere oppressive even before they stayed at the farmhouse. "You know, we can always go out into the sewers, if you're feeling a little claustrophobic."

Raph glares at him and growls. "I'm not afraid of small spaces, Leo."

Leo holds up his hands again in a placating gesture. "I didn't mean to imply that you were. It's just…I know how stifling the lair can be, especially when compared to the woods, and I thought it might be nice to get out of here for a while. Besides, it's not like we really want to be here for when Mikey destroys the kitchen or Donnie blows something up in his lab."

Raph smirks slightly at the thought. "You do have a point."

Leo gasps in mock shock and places a hand on his own chest over his heart. "You agree I have a point? I never thought I'd see the day. Can I get that in writing?"

Raph rolls his eyes as he practically shoves Leo out of the room. "Alright, Fearless, let's go before you die of a heart attack."

The two of them head out of the lair, steering clear of both the kitchen and the lab, and make their way for the sewer tunnels. Leo is a little concerned by how tired Raph seems, but he's sure that some time away from the lair will be good for him. After all, it always has been before.

They aimlessly amble through the tunnels and Leo can't help but wonder why they don't do this more often. There's no reason the two of them can't explore the sewers more. After all, they used to do this all of the time when they were younger. Leo doesn't really know what changed or why they stopped. All he knows is that some time after Master Splinter named Leonardo the leader his relationship with Raphael altered. Leo knows that part of it is his own fault. He knew that Raph was envious that he was named leader and, instead of ignoring that envy and helping his brother move past it, Leo used it against him, mocked him for it, and helped drive a wedge between them. He facilitated the creation of the chasm between them, and Leo honestly doesn't remember why.

All he knows is that, ever since the farmhouse, the rift between them has seemingly dissipated, though Leo knows he has had very little to do with that. Instead of actively working with Raph to resolve their issues the way he has always desired; a three month coma, severe injuries, a missing sensei, and an alien invasion did the work for him. Leo honestly feels cheated. He may not know the reason that Raph has been trying so hard to control his rage lately, but Leo feels certain it has something to do with those three months he was unconscious and the subsequent weeks after when they believed their father was dead. Leo just wishes it hadn't taken his utter failure and the near death of both their father and himself to calm his most aggressive brother.

Leo doesn't know how long they've been trekking through the sewers, but as he swiftly glances around he can't help but smile at where they've ended up. They haven't been here in a long time, but it seems fitting that today of all days their wandering has brought them here. Leo turns toward Raph to see him leaning against the sewer wall. Leo can tell that he's trying to appear relaxed, but he just looks thin and worn-out. "Are you okay?"

Raph raises an eye ridge at him. "Asks the turtle who's been so lost in thought that he didn't even notice we've been here for like five minutes."

Leo rolls his eyes, choosing to let Raph have his fun and ignore the nagging feeling that something is wrong, because he knows that Donnie would have noticed if it was something serious. When they return to the lair, Raph will eat and sleep and things will be better. Leo is sure of it. In the mean time, he just has to keep calm and make sure that a fight doesn't break out between the two of them. Leo is sure he's accomplished more complicated things than this. He just can't think of any right now.

"So, Mister We've-been-here-for-five-minutes, you feel like a swim?" Leo gestures to the giant pool of clean water in front of him. They used to come to this part of the sewer and swim for hours when they were children.

Raph smirks and shrugs. "Sure, why not?"

Leo grins evilly as he moves closer to his brother. "Good." Before Raph can say or do anything, Leo pushes him into the water. It's times like these that Leo is exceedingly pleased that his brilliant brother waterproofed their Tphones. Otherwise, he'd be getting an earful from Donnie once they returned.

He laughs as Raph breaks the surface, spluttering and glaring the whole time. "Leo, you dork! You know, you're gonna pay for that."

Leo is still laughing at the look on Raph's face when his brother reaches up, grabs his foot, and drags him into the water. Leo breaks the surface with a wide grin and immediately splashes Raph in the face. His brother is winded with his laughter, but manages to create a fairly large wave with his hands in order to splash Leo back. From there, it's an all out brawl to see who can create the biggest wave, neither one of them really winning, and, for once, neither caring, either. It isn't long before the splashing contest loses its appeal and the two of them end up wrestling each other in an attempt to dunk the other into the water. Leo is surprised that he manages to push Raph under the water more than a few times, while Raph only manages to dunk him twice, but they're both laughing and having fun so he thinks nothing of it.

It's hours later when Leo decides it's been long enough for Mikey to set everything up. He reluctantly gets out of the water and gestures for Raph to do the same. "We should probably head back. The others will be wondering where we got off to soon."

Raph nods as he gets out as well. Leo can't help but smile and chortle as Raph shakes like a dog to get the water off of him. "What do you think blew up first…the lab or the kitchen?"

Leo shrugs. "With our luck, both at the same time." He really hopes that everything is going smoothly back home and that Mikey and Donnie have managed to have an explosion free day, but he knows better than to assume that that's the case. Still, Leo's sure that if anything truly disastrous had happened one of the two would have called him.

XYZXYZ

When the two of them enter the lair, Leo is far more relieved than he should be to find the place in one piece. They can both smell something amazing coming from the kitchen, and Leo can't keep the grin off of his face. It seems that the other two managed just fine while they were gone. He knows he shouldn't find that as surprising as he does, but well…New York's mutant population isn't the only reason they've all been so drained lately.

Raph sniffs the air before turning towards Leo. "Wait, that smells like chili. Why would Mikey make chili? He doesn't even really like it, despite the fact that he'll still eat it."

Leo can't help but roll his eyes as he snickers at the perplexed expression on his brother's face. "Why don't you just go ask him?"

Raph gives him a very suspicious glare, but doesn't say anything as he heads towards the kitchen. Leo silently follows behind him with a knowing smirk that he can't suppress even if he wants to. Raph stops dead as he enters the kitchen to see Donnie and Mikey standing in front a large pot on the stove arguing. "I'm telling you, Mikey; I don't think it should be that thick."

Mikey glares at Donnie as he rips the ladle out of the genius's hand. "You might be the science-ie turtle, but I'm the cooking master, and, I'm telling you, it's chili…not soup. Of course, it's supposed to be that thick. Now, stop arguing and move!"

Raph stares dumbfounded for a long moment, and Leo has to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from snorting at the expression on his most aggressive brother's face. "Why is there chili?" The words seemingly tumble out of Raph's mouth.

Leo's actually fairly certain that he didn't even notice that he asked the question out loud until Mikey spins around with a grin on his face. "I'm pretty sure we can't have chili dogs without chili, bro."

Raph blinks a few times, still seemingly lost and confused. "Why would we have chili dogs? I'm the only one who really likes 'em."

Leo snickers at that, but when Mikey launches himself at Raph and wraps his arms around him, Leo can't help but laugh out right. "Dude, we're having them because they're your favorite, or, at least, we would be if somebody," Mikey turns to glare at Donnie, "would stop arguing with me about the consistency of chili."

Donnie holds up his hands in a mollifying gesture. "Fine, fine, I'm done arguing with the great cooking master."

Mikey beams as he hops back over to the stove. "Great, 'cause I need you to stir while I get the pretzel buns out of the oven."

Raph stares in disbelief once more. "You made pretzel buns? I love pretzel buns!"

"No, duh! Seriously, bro, what kind of brother would I be if I made chili dogs without the pretzel buns? Honestly, and you guys call me the dumb one."

Raph rolls his eyes, but there's a rather large smile on his face, which actually has Leo relaxing quite a bit. Maybe this is all they really needed, after all. He reminds himself to thank both Donnie and Mikey for this later when Raph is out of ear shot. After all, his younger brother doesn't exactly need to know exactly how troubled Leo has been about him as of late, anyway.

After Mikey takes the pretzel buns out of the oven, Raph points to an aluminum foiled plate that has been set off to the side. Leo didn't even notice it before, but now that he's seen it, he hopes that it's what he thinks it is. "What's that?"

Mikey grins brightly at him as he jumps between Raph and said plate. "That, my dear brother, is dessert. If you want to know what it is, here's a hint, it's your favorite."

Raph's eyes narrow for a second and Leo tries with all of his might not to snicker at his brother's suspicious nature. "Wait, you don't mean chocolate strawberry bread, do you?"

Mikey laughs as he glances over Donnie's shoulder to check on the chili. "What else would I mean? It even has that glaze that you like."

Raph glares at the room in general as though something is truly off, which makes Leo shake his head. He believes wholeheartedly that Raph shouldn't be so wary just because they did something nice for him. "But the other two think it's too sweet and no one likes seeing you on a sugar high." Leo does his best not to cringe at the aforementioned sugar rush Mikey will undoubtedly suffer later. It's worth it, though, especially if Raph actually eats more than a few bites of something.

"And yet, it remains your favorite, thus we made it for you." Leo can tell that Donnie is rolling his eyes just from the tone of his voice, but he doesn't comment on it.

Suddenly, the smile drops off of Raph's face as he glares at all of them. "Okay, that's it! What did you guys do?"

Leo blinks rapidly at Raph's outburst, unsure of what he really expected when he came up with this idea, but this certainly isn't it. "What do you mean?"

Raph turns his glare on Leo, who refuses to back away from his enraged brother. "You've spent all day with me, doing your best not to get into a fight with me, and these two," Raph jabs his finger in the direction of the other two, "are working together to make my favorite foods. Obviously, one or all of you did something horrible and you're just buttering me up before you tell me. So, come on, who was it and what did you do?"

Leo places both of his hands on Raph's shoulders in an attempt to calm him down. "None of us did anything."

Raph knocks both of Leo's hands off of him and balls his hands into fists, clearly trying to keep himself from losing his temper completely. "I don't believe you! This is some kind of trick."

Raph is about to storm away, Leo can tell just by the way he squares his shoulders, but before he gets a chance Mikey forces Raph into another hug. "It's not a trick. We just wanted to do something nice for you, since you've been so nice to us lately."

Raph stares at them with an expression of utter confusion. "What are you guys talkin' about?"

Donnie steps closer to Raph - who's still trapped in Mikey's death grip of an embrace - and places a hand on his shoulder. "We've all noticed how hard you've been working lately on trying to keep your rage under control and we wanted to show our appreciation. That's all."

Raph removes himself from Mikey's embrace and takes a step back. "So, none of ya did anything to my room or anything, like that time Mikey filled my pillow case with cockroaches."

They all shake their heads vigorously as Mikey sighs heavily. "How many times do I have to apologize for that?"

Leo knows exactly what to expect after that particular inquiry, and he knows better than to give either of the other two a chance to respond to it. "Mikey, shouldn't someone be stirring the chili or something?"

Mikey's eyes widen as he realizes no one is watching the still simmering food. "Right, you are, Leo!" He rushes over to the stove and immediately begins stirring the contents of the pot.

Leo just hopes nothing burned during Raph's little outburst. He so desperately wants everything to go well tonight. "Is everything okay over there, Mikey?"

Mikey waves a hand as if to dismiss Leo's unease. "It's all good, bro. You guys should sit down. It's almost ready."

The three of them sit down and wait silently for Mikey to put the finishing touches on dinner. There's still a fair amount of tension in the room, but that's what they have Mikey for, and, true to form, Mikey finishes dinner in record time, placing a plate with three chili dogs on it in front of Raph. "There's plenty where that came from, so should we try to break your record?" He winks at his brother and laughs manically.

As much as Leo would like to cringe in disgust at the amount of chili dogs Raph has consumed in one sitting before and put an end to this awful tradition, he's actually hoping that Raph attempts to beat his record, because then he'll have actually eaten more than a small serving of something for the first time in a long while. He smirks as he folds his arms over his chest, knowing Raph can never resist a challenge. "Come on, Mikey, there's no way he can break that record."

Donnie gives him a look of utter astonishment. "Leo, you're not honestly supporting this ridiculous tradition, are you?"

Leo shrugs as he continues smirking at Raph. "What's the big deal? Mikey and Raph have so much fun with this."

Donnie shakes his head, but doesn't protest any further. Leo wonders if Donnie has caught on to what he's doing yet or if he just knows it's futile to try and stop it. "Well, you guys can count me out of this. I'm having my standard two chili dogs before I return to my lab, and you two," he points to Raph and Mikey, "can deal with your stomach aches all on your own."

Raph rolls his eyes as he takes a huge bite out of one of his chili dogs, and then his eyes close in utter bliss. He doesn't even bother swallowing completely before speaking. "Mikey, these are amazing!"

Mikey beams at the compliment as he devours his own chili dog. "Eh, not as great as pizza, but good. Hey, what do you guys think of chili dog pizza? That's gotta be amazing, right?"

Leo shakes his head at his little brother. If he's honest, he's surprised Mikey hasn't already made a chili dog pizza. "How about you lay off the crazy food concoctions for a while, okay, Mikey? Besides, I think all of our stomachs are going to need a day of recovery after this."

Mikey gives him the saddest expression he can muster for about three seconds before he realizes that his plate is empty and he goes to retrieve more food. While he's standing at the stove, Mikey taps Raph's seat with his foot. "Hey man, you ready for more?"

Raph shakes his head and Leo glances over to see Raph has eaten exactly one and a half chili dogs. "Actually, I think I'm done. Thanks for making these, Mikey. They're really good."

Mikey drops the ladle back into the pot halfway through making up his full plate of chili dogs and spins around so fast that Leo is actually surprised that none of his chili dogs go flying off of his plate. "What do you mean you're done? Dude, you normally eat like a dozen of these things."

Raph shrugs and glances away from them. "Yeah, so? I'd rather not eat 'til I hurl like you, Mikey."

Mikey stares pleadingly at Leo, seemingly asking him to fix this, but Leo doesn't know what to do, because now more than ever it's clear that he was right all along and something is definitely wrong with Raph. "Okay, that's it!" Leo slams his hands down onto the table. "What gives, Raph? You've hardly been eating since before we left the farm. You've lost weight, you're constantly fatigued, you're weaker, and you've been isolating yourself more than ever. What's going on with you?"

Raph sighs heavily and shifts uncomfortably. Leo sees his eyes dart to the door a couple of times, and Leo vows that if Raph makes even the slightest move towards the exit, he will tackle him. "It's nothing, Leo! Don't worry about it."

Leo is up and out of his seat, blocking the exit to the room before Raph even finishes his sentence. "I very much doubt that it's nothing. Come on, Raph, even Donnie ate more than you and Donnie doesn't eat more than anyone."

Raph looks as though he's ready to just bulldoze right through Leo to get out of the room, and Leo is honestly worried about having to deal with a charging Raphael until Donnie gets up and stands next to him, helping to barricade Raph's exit with his body. "He's right, Raph. Something's not right and I'm sorry I didn't notice it sooner, but you need to tell us what's going on with you."

Raph clutches at his head, seemingly in pain, and then growls. "I don't know, okay? I don't know what's wrong with me! I'm not hungry. Hell, most of the time, the very thought of food is enough to make me want to vomit. I'm tired, everything hurts, and, despite the fact that all I want to do is sleep, I can't, and when I do the nightmares are..." He trails off as though he's suddenly aware that he's been speaking out loud.

Leo glances over to Donnie, who looks exceedingly alarmed the more Raph talks. They both know better than to question Raph about his nightmares, so Leo chooses to ignore that little detail and instead focuses on Donnie. The expression on his genius brother's face is causing the knot that's abruptly formed in Leo's stomach to tighten immeasurably with each passing second. "What is it, Donnie?"

Donnie shakes his head. "I don't know." He turns back to Raph, who's still clutching at his head. "Hey, why don't we go to my lab? I'll do some tests and get you something for that headache, okay?"

Raph nods and quietly follows Donnie out of the room. Leo turns to Mikey, who looks as though he has just discovered that one of his brother's is dying. "It's okay, Mikey. Don will figure it out. He'll be okay."

Mikey shakes his head and Leo is fairly certain that he can see tears shining in his little brother's eyes. "But, but, he's sick. He's sick, Leo, and none of us noticed. He could be…"

Leo gathers Mikey into a hug and holds him close. "No, okay, no. He'll be fine. Don just needs to figure out what's wrong with him, and, if anyone can do it, Donnie can."

"We still didn't know. If it was one of us, Raph would have known something was wrong, but we didn't. I mean, I noticed all the same stuff you did, but I just thought Raph was still overdoing it, like at the farmhouse, ya know? Well, I guess you don't know, since you were unconscious for three months, but Raph...he took everything on himself. He was the one who kept us training and watched over you. He helped Donnie set up that lab in the barn, and…" Mikey trails off as he buries his head deeper into Leo's plastron.

Leo sighs heavily as he squeezes Mikey a little tighter. "I know, Mikey, I know. I saw how Raph helped you two with training, and, after seeing how far April has come, I kind of figured he had a hand in that too. He has been pushing himself too hard, which is why it took us all so long to notice, but it's going to be okay. We know now, so now we can do something about it."

Mikey shakes his head and his voice is muffled by Leo's plastron. "But what if we can't?"

Leo pulls away just enough to give Mikey the sternest expression that he can muster right now. "Don't say that, Mikey! You can't think like that right now…not you…not our ray of sunshine, okay? Your optimism is what keeps the rest of us going, so you've gotta stay positive for Raph's sake."

Mikey nods once before pulling out of the embrace with a watery smile. "You're right. Whatever's wrong with him, Raph's gonna need some good old fashioned Mikey cheer."

Leo gives a small grin in return. "Just don't do anything too over the top, okay? And no more cockroaches alive, dead, plastic, or any other kind, got it?"

Mikey nods and then salutes. "Turtle's honor." He turns to run off but stops for a second mid-stride. "Um Leo?"

Leo stares at him as calmly as he can muster while his insides feel like they're tying themselves into knots, but he can't let Mikey see how worried he is…not if he doesn't want Mikey to descend into despair. "Yeah, Mikey?"

"You'll let me know when Don knows something, right?"

"Of course," Leo nods before ushering Mikey out of the kitchen. "Now, go do whatever you were going to do. I'll put this stuff away." Leo gestures behind him towards the rest of the food and other random items Mikey left out.

Mikey gives him a watery smile as he starts to wander away. "Thanks bro, and one more thing." He stops dead in his tracks and turns to meet Leo's eyes dead on. "Don't put the strawberry bread away just yet. I wanna see if I can get Raph to eat a piece after Don's examination."

Leo can't keep the small grin off of his face at Mikey's endearing thought process. "You got it, Mikey."

He puts away dinner and finishes the dishes, knowing that it has taken him far longer than normal to finish such a simple task - even with all of the pots, pans, and bowls Mikey used - but Leo can't seem to focus…not when he's spending every second anxiously awaiting Donnie's diagnosis. He knows he needs a distraction, even though Leo also knows there's nothing in the world that could possibly take his mind off of the current situation. He wishes now more than ever that Master Splinter was here, but their master is, unfortunately, staying with April and her father until his injuries from their latest battle with The Shredder heals. The last thing they need right now is Master Splinter getting some kind of infection.

Leo sits in front of the television, not really watching whatever's on the screen, and trying desperately to remember all of his really well thought-out reasons for why he shouldn't just barge into Donatello's lab. Unfortunately, his mind keeps telling him that there are no good reasons when he's being faced with the possibility of a sick little brother. Still, he knows that his presence wouldn't help right now. Leo would just get in the way and most likely annoy both Donatello and Raphael. Not to mention, Leo is sure that Raph would detest his presence more than usual now.

Abruptly, Leo is torn away from his musings by the distinct sound of the lab door opening and closing. He glances over to see Raph walking away from the door. They make eye contact for merely a second before Raph practically runs to his room and shuts the door. Normally, Leo would have something mocking to say about needles or something, but not now…not when the fear he has kept silent about for so long has finally been brought to the forefront and is mocking him, whispering horrible possibilities, even now. He stands and slowly makes his way to Donatello's lab, breathing a heavy sigh, and desperately trying to find some semblance of calm before entering Donnie's domain.

He apprehensively moves his hand slowly towards the door handle, unsure if he's really ready to hear whatever Donnie has to say about what's wrong with their most cantankerous brother, and yet, knowing that this, among many other things, is his burden to bear. Leo inhales a large breath and holds it as he inches open the door. He slowly exhales as he makes his way across the threshold and prepares himself for the worst.

Donatello is poring over various documents on his computer screen and frantically glancing between the papers in his hands and the screen in front of him. Leo takes another large calming breath and stands a little straighter. "Find anything?"

"Nothing yet." Donnie's shaking his head and clutching the papers in his hands so tightly that Leo hopes that he has other, less crinkled and more legible, copies somewhere. After a long silent moment that feels like an eternity, the papers slip out of Donnie's suddenly laxed fingers and his brother turns to him with an expression of utter fear plastered on his face. "Leo, we have a problem."

Leo does his best not to immediately jump to conclusions about what could possibly be wrong with Raph, but, from Donnie's reaction, there aren't any good possibilities running through his mind. "What kind of problem?"

"I…I don't understand. How could this have happened?" Donnie's not looking at him anymore. Instead, he's got his head in his hands and he looks as though he's about two seconds away from falling apart completely. "I eradicated it. At least, I thought I eradicated it. I…I should have done regular testing like I wanted to, but you know how Raph is, and he seemed fine. I mean, yeah, I knew he wasn't eating as much and was losing weight, but we were all eating differently at the farmhouse, and even once we came back…well, nothing has really been the same, you know? We've basically had no down time. I haven't had time for regular testing, even if Raph would have allowed it, and…"

Leo immediately grabs Donnie by the shoulders and shakes him a little to stop his rambling. "Donnie, what are you talking about? What's going on?"

Donnie sighs heavily as Leo lets him go. "Do you remember when the creep infected Raph, turning him into that plant thing?" At Leo's nod, Donnie continues. "Well, apparently sucking the mutagen out of the creep and back into Raph killed off most of the infection."

Leo folds his arms over his chest, not liking that particular wording. "What do you mean by most?"

"Just what the word implies, Leo. I thought it killed off all of the infection, but apparently it didn't. There must have been trace amounts lying dormant in Raph's system. If I had kept up with regular testing beyond what I did that night, maybe…maybe I would have caught this sooner, but I didn't." Donnie abruptly turns away from him, seemingly unable to meet Leo's eyes.

"Well, why didn't you?" Leo's voice comes out gruff and angry. He knows it's unfair to put this on Donnie, but Leo hasn't been able to get the incident with The Creep out of his mind ever since he found himself sitting in the barn, waiting all night to find out if Donnie could save their brother or not.

Donnie glances up at him, almost pleadingly. "Life has been crazy, Leo. We've been fighting almost nonstop, getting Raph to submit to treatment when it's obvious something is wrong is hard enough, and I didn't think this could happen. I never would have suspected this was even a possibility. Mikey's shell acne never returned. I had no reason to believe this could happen."

Leo doesn't know what to say. He thought they were done dealing with The Creep and everything else that they dealt with while they were staying at the farmhouse the moment they returned to New York City. To discover that, not only has Raph been suffering from what The Creep did to him all of this time, but that none of them even bothered to notice makes Leo wish he had refused to allow Raph to leave by himself to go get firewood that night.

It's a useless thought and a meaningless one now, but it's there all the same, and there's nothing Leo can do about it. He just wishes he had been able to protect his brothers back then, but he couldn't. Yes, he managed to help them take down The Creep, but even that seems insignificant in the face of this new development. "So, what's going to happen to Raph? Is he going to eventually de-mutate into that plant thing again?"

Donnie shrugs. "It's a distinct possibility, but I honestly don't know, Leo. I'll have to do more tests, and, even then, I have no real way of knowing what's going to happen to him. In fact, it's just as likely that Raph could de-mutate completely."

Leo's eyes widen in realization as he shakes his head incredulously and backs away from his brother. "Wait, you don't mean that Raph could eventually de-mutate into a normal turtle, do you?"

Donnie nods as he clutches his hands together. Leo recognizes it as one of the ways Donnie tries to calm himself, but doesn't mention it. He figures they should both be utilizing their calming techniques right now. "Like I said, it's a distinct possibility."

Leo honestly can't believe what he's hearing right now. There's a part of him that wants to deny what Donnie is telling him, but Leo knows better than to give into that piece of himself. This is the problem and, no matter what he's thinking or feeling, they have to deal with it. "Okay, so how do we fix this?"

Donnie shakes his head again. "Honestly, Leo, I wouldn't even know where to begin. I mean, if Raph is just de-mutating into that plant thing again, then, theoretically, a more concentrated dose of a similar antidote should help stop, if not reverse, the effects completely. However, if he's de-mutating completely, I truly have no idea how to stop that. Not to mention, if he does de-mutate completely, then I don't think we can do anything. I mean, we still don't completely understand how the mutagen works. I very much doubt that dousing a normal-turtle-Raphael in mutagen would yield the same results that it did all those years ago when we were originally mutated. I mean, you saw what it did to Spike, so it only makes sense that a de-mutated Raphael plus mutagen would equal…well, not our Raph."

Leo's head feels like it's spinning, and the more Donnie talks, the worse it gets. It's bad enough imagining Raph reverting back into that plant thing and having no real solution to the problem, but the idea of Raph reverting back into a normal turtle hurts in a way that Leo can't describe. He thinks that it might actually be a fate worse than death. After all, Leo knows what Raph would choose, if given the option.

He can't think about the possibility of having his brother with him, but not as his brother without feeling as if his heart is being put through a shredder. If it was a choice between that and death, and the decision was left up to him, Leo honestly isn't sure which he'd choose. "We…we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves." It's the only thing that Leo can manage to say and it comes out strained and desperate.

Donnie glances up at him and whatever he sees makes his eyes soften as he nods. "Yeah, of course. Besides, there currently aren't any signs that he's going to fully de-mutate. If anything, the behavioral changes he's been exhibiting point to plant mutant regression."

Leo's brow furrows in confusion. "What behavioral changes?"

Donnie rolls his eyes, but continues in the soft, gentle tone he's been using since he realized how much this is affecting Leo. "We all noticed that Raph has been acting nicer lately and he's been far less sarcastic when helping out and stuff. We all just thought he was consciously trying to control his rage, but, when we mentioned it earlier, he seemed genuinely confused. I'm starting to think that the behavior changes weren't conscious decisions at all and are instead symptoms of what's happening to him."

Leo's eyes widen at the implication, hoping that this might somehow turn out to be good news. "Okay, and is it possible that the behavioral changes are indicative of other changes happening within him? I mean, I know you and Mikey said that Raph was very affectionate as that plant creature. You claimed that he was almost dog like, but is there anyway his current behavior could be reminiscent of…" Leo trails off, unable to speak the words out loud. It shouldn't be so hard. It's just a theory, but it's one that terrifies him.

"Of a normal turtle?" Donnie finishes for him. At Leo's nod, Donnie shrugs. "It's possible. Look, I still have to find out what exactly is happening to Raphael on a cellular level before I can even attempt to decipher what's actually happening to him and figure out some sort of treatment."

Leo swallows thickly before clearing his throat. "Well, then, that brings us to the hardest part of all of this."

Donnie's eyes narrow in confusion. "What's that?"

"Figuring out how and what exactly we're going to tell Raph."

Donnie squirms uncomfortably, and Leo does his best not to cringe as well. This is definitely going to be equally as difficult as actually finding a cure for Raph. "Well, we technically don't have to tell him anything until I know exactly what's happening to him and how it's going to affect him."

Leo shakes his head. He can't stand the idea of keeping this from Raph, mostly because Leo isn't actually sure that he could if he wanted to. After all, he's never been particularly talented at lying to his family. "No, Raph deserves to know what we know. He also deserves to know why he has been feeling so terrible, even if we don't have all of the answers yet. He wouldn't want it any other way."

Donnie nods in understanding. They both know that Raph would never want to be left out, especially when it's something involving him. Leo just hopes that Raph doesn't crumble under the weight they're about to place upon his shoulders. "Okay, so who's going to tell him and, more importantly, what are we going to tell him?"

Leo sighs heavily. He's already forcing one little brother to suffer a heavy burden. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he let it become two, especially since this is, by all rights, his responsibility. After all, it doesn't matter if it's what Raph prefers, Leo still hates himself for not being able to protect him from this in the first place. "I'll do it. I'll tell Raph, and I'll figure out how to do so later, but that means you have to tell Mikey."

Donnie shakes his head. "No, there's no reason to tell Mikey about any of this. He'll just be…"

Leo slashes a hand through the air, effectively cutting Donnie off. "No, we're not leaving Mikey out of this. I know you want to protect him. I do too, but we can't. He already knows that something is wrong. It would be cruel to leave him out. You don't have to tell him all of your theories or anything, but he needs to know what's going on. Besides, I think Raph is going to need all of us after I tell him."

Donnie sighs heavily and nods in agreement. "You're right. I just don't like the idea of Mikey worrying all of the time. I mean, who knows how long it'll take me to figure out a way to reverse this?"

Leo nods in understanding. He would gladly avoid telling their younger brother about this as well, if he could, but Leo knows better. They can't hide from the truth and it's better to just face it head on, like they always have with everything else. "I know, but Mikey is going to worry just as much, if not more-so, if we don't tell him."

Donnie slumps back into his chair. "I know." There's a long pause before Donnie abruptly sits up again. "So, does that mean we're telling Master Splinter as well?"

Leo takes a moment to mull it over. If anyone deserves to know about all of this, it's their father, but he's still healing. The last thing Leo wants to do is risk jeopardizing Master Splinter's recovery, even if he does feel as though their father is needed now more than ever. Leo leans against Donnie's desk as he rubs the tension out of his neck. "I think we should leave that decision up to Raph. As much as I believe Master Splinter needs to be told about what's going on with Raphael, I don't think any of us want to risk calling him back too soon. We all know what being in the sewers will do to his still open wounds. However, if Raph needs or wants him here, I won't hesitate to call."

Donnie nods once more. "That sounds reasonable." He slowly rises from his chair and gestures to the door. "Shall we go, then? This is starting to look like it's going to be a long night for both of us."

Leo nods and gestures for Donnie to lead the way. He intends to use what little extra time letting Donnie go first will lend him to figure out exactly what he's going to say to Raph. At this point, Leo almost wishes that he didn't know his brothers so well and wasn't so observant. If he wasn't, then he never would have noticed Raph's condition, and he wouldn't be dragging his feet on his way to confront Raph about what he knows now. Except, Leo knows that that isn't true at all, because, if anything, he wishes he had spoken up sooner. Maybe then things wouldn't seem so dire now. He breathes a heavy sigh as he makes his way to Raphael's door, hoping that his little brother is somehow prepared for what he has to say, and yet, knowing that there's no possible way for any of them to be ready for this.

The End (for now)